Fobnia



B. R. VAN VALKENBURG.

PIPE CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED'NOV, 4, 1913. RENEWED JUNE 19. 1916.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEE'T I.

IN V E N TOR flan H. Van Val/rewbagf WITNESSES A ATTORNEY B. R. VANVALKENBURG.

PIPE CHEST.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 4, 1913. RENEWED JUNE 19. me.

1 1 95,536 Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

win/5385s; MIKE/1T0}? 5:12"! R. Van VOZ/ ZIZbl/Yg a wf jag/[M47 ATTOR/VEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURT R. VAN VALKENBURG, OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICANPHOTO PLAYER COMPANY, OF BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALI-FORNIA.

PIPE-CHEST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

Application filed November 4, 1913, Serial No. 799,116. Renewed June 19,1916. Serial No. 104,577.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURT R. VAN VAL- KENBURG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State ofCalifornia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-Chests, of which the following is a specification.

The herein described invention relates to an improved pipe chest fororgans, and more specifically to a pneumatically operated instrument ofthe organ type.

The principal object of this invention is to provide improved means foropening any passage controlling a note to the air pressure in the chestby means of a vacuum pneumatic located on the exterior thereof.

Further objects are to provide an im proved general arrangement of thechest, means whereby independent adjustment may be secured for theamount of opening and the spring pressure tending to close the opening,and construction of the plunger rod to prevent leakage around the same.

With these and other objects in view, it will be seen that my inventionconsists in the novel arrangement and combination of parts as hereindescribed, and as more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, forming a part of this specification :Figure1 is a view in plan of my improved chest with a part thereof broken outand showing the pneumatics mounted on part of the length thereof. Fig. 2is an enlarged view in cross section along the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is an inverted plan view of the cover and parts attached thereto to showthe interior arrangement. Fig. 4 is a view in cross section of a pianowith several pipe chests constructed in accordance with my inventioninstalled in connection therewith.

The improved chest is constructed of several layers of wood or othersuitable material comprising a bottom 1 and side walls 2, anintermediate layer 3 and a top 4. Within these layers is a longitudinalcavity 5, in which the valves are located and which is closed by endwalls 6 and 7. Cavity 5 communicates through an opening 8 with the windtrunk 9, of which there may be several arranged parallel, opening 8being normally closed by a valve 10. Within the cavity 5 a strip 11extends the length thereof and on the same are mounted the spring valvesupports 12, which are attached to the strip by screws 13. Along oneedge of this strip is a cut out portion 15 and a screw 14 passingthrough the spring at this point provides means for adjusting thetension of said spring. On the end of strip 12 is attached a closurecomprising a stiif plate 16 on which are mounted several thicknesses ofelastic material 17 such as felt and sheep skin, the various layersbeing held by a screw and nut 18. In alinement with this closure is anopening 19 extending through layer 3, and partly through layer 4, fromwhence it branches off in an angular direction as indicated at 20 or 20,and terminates in openings 21 extending through layer 4. The object ofthis arrangement is to secure economy in space, the pipes 22 which areplaced in openings 21, are thus arranged in two rows instead of onereducing the length of the chest practically one half.

Mounted on the exterior of the chest directly above each strip 12 is aplurality of blocks 24 on each of which is mounted a pneumatic 25 havingthe movable side 26. Passing throughthe extended end of 26 is aregulating screw 28, having an enlarged pad 29 which contacts with thestop block 30, when this side is depressed. The movement of thepneumatic is transmitted to strip 12 through a rod 31 passing through anopening 32 in members 3 and 4. This rod is pro-' vided on the upper endwith a rounded head 33 which rests under the extended end of 26, and onthe lower end with a button 34 having felt ends which seats in a cavity35. The pressure within chamber 5 holds the button on its seatpreventing leakage around the rod 31.

Each block 24 is provided with a longitudinal passageway 37 whichcommunicates by a hole 38 with the interior of the pneumatic 25. The oneend of this passageway is connected by a tube 39 with the correspondingpneumatic of the next pipe chest, while the other end is connected by atube 40 with a valve chest 41. In this chest are a number of cells 42,and a vacuum chamber 43 between which and the cells are flexiblediaphragms 43. The admission of air under one of these diaphragms raisesthe valve 44 placing tube 40 in communication with the vacuum chamber43. Air is admitted to cells 42 through tubes 45 which connect with avalve 46. The latter consists of a plate having passage 47, which plateis adjacent to the abstract 48 and which is normally closed by thehinged cover 48. The latter is raised by a projection 49 on the abstracteach time a note is played. Such note may be played either manually bymeans of keys 50 or automatically by the usual tracker and valve chestarrangement.

The operation of my improved pipe chest is as follows Whenever theabstract 48 is raised, the cover 48 is lifted by the projection 4C9,thus admitting air to the tube 45 and so raising the valve 4A. Thisplaces tube 40 in communication with the vacuum in e3, thus deflatingpneumatic 25 and through the connecting tube 39, deflating alsopneumatic 25 and any others which may be con nected in the line. Thedeflating of'a pneu matic such as 25 presses down pin 31 which in turnbends spring 12 removing the pad 17 from the opening 19 and allowing theair under pressure to pass through said opening, passage 20 or 20, intothe pipe 22. While each of the pneumatics on a given line are deflatedonly that set of pipes will sound whose valve 10 is opened to admitpressure into the corresponding pipe chest, it being understood that thevalves such as 10 are operated preferably by the usual stops, but anyconvenient means may be used.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that I have providedan effective and simple pipe chest for playing pressure pipes by meansof a vacuum operated pneumatic..

While I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will beunderstood that minor changes may be made in detail and design withoutdeparting from the spirit thereof, and that I wish to cover suchmodifications as broadly as possible.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinationin a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having a passage leadingtherefrom, a valve for said passage having a leaf-spring section, meanssecuring said valve at one end of its spring-section to the pipe-chest,the said valve intermediate its ends being spaced from the adjacentwalls of the chest, means engaging said valve at the last referred toportion thereof for varying the degree of pressure normally exerted bythe valve against the wall of said passage, and means for unseating saidvalve against the resistance of its spring.

2. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having apassage leading therefrom and containing an opening in a wall thereof, avalve in the interior of said chest for controlling said passage formedwith a spring section located in the interior of said chest and securedat one end in said chest, a rod passing through a wall of said chest andadapted to engage said valve, and

means for moving said rod to actuate said valve.

3. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having apassage leading therefrom, a valve controlling said pas sage and formedof a spring-strip, a block to which said strip is secured, adjustingmeans passing through said spring-strip at a point Where the latter isout of contact with said block, and means for actuating said valve.

a. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having apassage leading therefrom, a valve controlling said passage and formedof a spring-strip, a block to which said strip is secured, adjustingmeans passing through said spring-strip at a point where the latter isout of contact with said block, a movable rod extending externally ofsaid chest and adapted, when actuated, to actuate said valve, and meansfor actuating said rod.

5. The combination in a musicalinstrument, of a pipe-chest having apassage leading therefrom and containing a pressurechamber, and avalve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure throughsaid opening into said chamber, a disk-valve adapted to close saidpassage, a block mounted within said chest, a leafspring carrying saiddisk-valve and attached at its opposite end to said block, a pneu maticmounted on the exterior of said chest, a rod operated by the movableside of said pneumatic and passing through a wall of said chest, andadapted to engage said spring to open the disk-valve upon the defiationof the said pneumatic.

6. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest having apassage leading therefrom and containing a pressure chamber, and avalve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure throughsaid opening into said chamber, a disk-valve adapted to close saidpassage, a block mounted within said chest, a leafspring carrying saiddisk-valve and attached at its opposite end to said block, and means foradjusting the tension of said spring, a pneumatic mounted on theexterior of said chest and a rod operated by the movable side of saidpneumatic and passing through a wall of said chest and adapted to engagesaid spring and open the diskvalve upon deflation of said pneumatic.

7 The combination in a musical instrument having a musical pipe-chestcontaining an air-pressure chamber, valve-controlled means for supplyingair under pressure to said chest, said chest containing a passageleading to said pipe, a spring-mounted valve, means for adjusting thetension of the spring, a pneumatic mounted on the exterior of saidchest, a rod mounted in an opening in a wall of said chest andcommunicating with said chamber, said rod havin an enlarged head on theend thereof wit in said chamber, which is adapted to make a tight jointbetween said rod and the openin in which it is located due to thepressure 0 air in said chamber against the head of said rod, said headbeing in position to contact with said valve and open the latter whenthe pneumatic is deflated, and adjusting means on the movable side ofsaid pneumatic whereby its movement may be regulated and thus the amountof opening of said valve controlled.

8. The combination in a musical instrument having a plurality of musicalpipes, of a pipe-chest containing an air-pressure chamber having avalve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure throughsaid opening into said chamber, said chest containing passages leadingfrom said chamber to said musical pipes, respectively, a flexibleclosure for each of said passages, a spring mounting for each closure,means for adjusting the tension of each spring, pneumatics mounted onthe exterior of said chest above the spring-controlled closures,respectively, rods passing through a wall of said chest and extendinginto the path of movement of the movable sides of said neumatics,enlarged heads on the ends 0 said rods within said chamber and which areadapted to make tight joints around said rods due to the air pressure onsaid heads, said heads being in position to contact with the respectivesprings and open said closures when the pneumatics are deflated, andadjusting means on the movable sides of said pneumatics whereby theirmovement may be adjusted and thus the amount of opening of said closuresregulated.

9. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest containingpassages leading therefrom, valvedisks controlling the said passages,spring-strips supporting said valve-disks, a block carrying saidspring-strips, a screw passing through each of said spring-strips at apoint where said spring-strip is not in contact with said block,pneumatics secured to said chest, and means co-acting with saidpneumatics to actuate said respective valve-disks.

10. The combination in a musical instrument, of a pipe-chest containingpassages leading therefrom, valve-disks controlling the outlets of saidpassages, spring-strips supporting said valve-disks, a block carryingsaid spring-strips, a screw passing through each of said spring-stripsat a point inter mediate its valve-disk and the said block, andpneumatics adapted to actuate said valve-disks.

11. The combination in a musical instrument having a plurality ofmusical pipes, of a pipe-chest containing a pressure chamber having avalve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure throughsaid opening into said chamber, said chest having passages leading fromsaid pressure chamber to the respective musical pipes, disk-valvesadapted to close said passages, leaf-springs carrying said disk-valves,said springs being each attached at one end to said block, a pluralityof pneumatics mounted on the exterior of said chest, rods operated bythe movable sides of said pneumatics and passing through a wall of saidchest, and adapted to engage said springs and open the disk-valves uponthe deflation of the said pneumatics.

12. The combination in a musical instrument having a plurality ofmusical pipes, of a pipe-chest containing a pressure chamber, having avalve-controlled opening, means for supplying air under pressure throughsaid opening into said chamber, said chest having passages leading fromsaid pressure chamber to the respective musical pipes, disk-valvesadapted to close said passages, leaf-springs carrying said disk-valves,said springs being each attached at one end to said block, means foradjusting the tension of said leaf-springs, a plurality of pneumaticsmounted on the exterior of said chest, and rods operated by the movablesides of said pneumatics and passing through a wall of said chest andadapted to engage said springs and open the disk-valves upon deflationof the pneumatics.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BURT R. VAN VALKENBURG.

Witnesses:

H. A. VAN VALKENBURG, R. M. OYARZO.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0."

